snorkeling / reservations

we fly out of tampa in ONE WEEK to go to CSA, we went to CTI 4 years ago.

what is the snorkeling like? has anybody went on the night one?

also do you have to make a reservation for it? what activites do you have to make reservations for. we are going to eat at each resturant that requires reservations once at the beginning of the trip in case we want to go back :-) but wasn't sure which activites require it.

we want to go snorkeling several times, go on the cat cruise.

you can walk to margaritvilla, right? safety? we just want to walk, buy a shot glass and return.

We took the bus to Margaritaville, not realizing it was just down the road. We didn't want to wait for the bus to take us back so after taking sunset photos, we just walked the beach back and enjoyed it. Had to keep saying "no" to the happy smoke, but it wasn't bad. Snorkeling--we signed up for but it was just the morning of just to get the time we wanted to go. We aren't big partiers so watching them at Ricks off the cat cruise was enough for us.

You sign up for snorkeling at the WaterSports Hut near to The Palms and the freeform pool at the northeast end of the property. Night snorkeling is extra $$, but I'm not sure how much, and they need a minimum number of people signed up before they send out the night boat (it was four, but I'm not sure about now). To sign up for the cat cruise, you need to see the concierge (in the lobby).

As for Margueritaville, yes... its only a 5-10 minute walk down the beach and they have a gift shop there. Perfectly safe during the day.

Ricks's... well, yes, it certainly is a tourist trap... but it IS Rick's, after all, and worth the trip if you can afford it.

the night snorkeling is 70 bucks a couple i think. we want to do this once, and the day one several times.

and great about margartaville - hoping it was safe to walk there and back. when we went to COR we took the shuttle and then couldnt wait to leave.

still debating about ricks. you can see it from the cat cruize? that MIGHT be enough. i want to see cliff divers and maybe a few pictures. we'll go at the beginning of the week and if its not enough look into actually going to ricks. is there a shuttle, etc or do you have to arrange it?

We are snorkeling fanatics and usually snorkel at least once a day at CSA. You can sign up at the watersports hut one day prior to the trip. There are 3 scheduled trips daily (weather depending): 11:00; 1:30 and 3:00. Tip: The 11:00 snorkel trip usually has calmer waters and is less likely to get cancelled due to the waves kicking up in the afternoon.

The snorkeling itself is fairly good. They have several spots along the reef that they can take you, so if you go several times during the week, you will see different things. The reef is less than 10 minutes by boat from shore, so you get to snorkel for "30 American minutes." You will see a lot of Seargent Majors, Angelfish, Blue Tang, and many other colorful varieties. It's not the Great Barrier Reef, but it's nice.

We've done the night snorkel at CSA. It was $35/pp when we were there in January. You leave at sunset and you are given large flashlights. It is a little bit difficult to see things, but if you are lucky, you will spot critters that don't come out during the day, like lobsters.

The catamaran cruise is definitely worth trying; it gives you a lovely view of the western end of the island. The best part is when it stops and you can swim into the caves.